The present invention relates to a cake removing apparatus for use in filter presses.
With conventional filter presses, the filter plates are retracted a required distance one by one and thereby opened after filtration to remove a cake from the filter chamber between each two adjacent filter plates. The cake in the filter chamber almost wholly falls off under gravity simultaneously with opening, and the cake adhering to the filter fabric is removed by a fabric vibrating apparatus.
Stated more specifically, the filter plates of conventional filter presses have a filter fabric covering each of the front and rear faces thereof, with a fabric hanger bar attached to the upper edge of each of the front and rear filter fabrics. Between each two adjacent filter plates, the opposed ends of the hanger bars are connected together by a chain or like connecting member which is shorter than the distance the plate is retracted for opening. Upon opening of the adjacent plates, the opposed fabrics therebetween are pulled inward at their upper ends and slanted approximately to an inverted V shape when seen from one side of the press, and the opposed ends of the hanger bars at the upper ends of the opposed fabrics are struck with a vibrating hammer of a vibrating apparatus, whereby the cake is shaken off for removal.
With the conventional apparatus, however, the cake is shaken off by striking the opposite ends of the fabric hanger bars with the vibrating hammer and shaking the filter fabric, so to speak, indirectly, so that the fabrics are shaken relatively moderately. For example when the cake adhering to the fabric is sticky, the apparatus is unable to shake off the cake rapidly and reliably to result in the problem of failing to improve the filtration efficiency of the filter press.